Dear Little Darlin'

I just turned 27. This is a bit of a shock to me, as in my head it wasn’t long ago that I was dancing round my bedroom to N*SYNC, wishing I could drive and hoping that my Dad would stop trying to get me to tidy my bedroom. I thought I was so grown up and that the world was my oyster, but I was still so young and innocent to the world. Wouldn’t it have been great if I could have warned and advised myself on what was to come?

Dear Me at 17,

Hey!

Firstly, I’m saying this with love but you need to get a fringe cut in and do something with that hair. It looks horrendous. Right now you think that it cute, but give it a few years and you will look back at those pictures with horror. Do it.

Pretty soon you’ll get real sick, and life will turn on its head. I’m sorry to say that they days of staying up late to finish Lit essays and drinking cans of full fat Coke to keep those eyes open will go down the pan, my friend. Sugar will become your biggest enemy and you’ll feel like you’ll never adjust. The doctors will be you’re second home and it will feel rubbish, but it gets better…. On the whole it’s fine. But you will still have those days where you want to curl up in your pjs and cry. I’m not going to lie to you.

You’re little sister has your back. Love and cherish her, some people aren’t so lucky as to have someone that adores them in their life. Quit being such a bitch.

Here’s the big one chick, Heidi dies. Enjoy the time you have with her now, in less than 2 years she will be gone. It will be instant and she won’t feel a thing, but remember what she told you when you lay in the park and looked at the stars; she doesn’t want to be mourned when she’s gone. Remember the fun times and the pain from laughing too much. Missing someone is positive; it’s a shadow of the love you had and the friendship you shared.

Don’t let people bring you down. You won’t go to Uni, but you know what, it won’t stop you. You’ll be successful and people will try to knock you down as you are so young and they are jealous. Don’t let them, and don’t do it to them. It won’t make your star shine brighter if you try to dim someone else’s. It will just make you feel bad.

He’ll break your heart. Constantly. And eventually it will all end. You’ll be super sad and you’ll feel like life is over, but when you catch up with me you’ll wonder what all the fuss is about. You know the way he treats other people that you hate? He’ll do that to you eventually.

Don’t take things for granted. It’s easy when you’re young, but you aren’t invincible, and nor are the people around you. Appreciate the beauty in your surroundings, the kindness in others and the privileges that you have. Not everyone has extensively travelled, gone to a good school and been able to have the freedom and free reign you had as a child. Count your blessings.